Improvement in car-couplings



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B. B. MORGAN. Car-Couplings. No.157,4H. Patented Dec. 1,1874.-

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. Car-Couplingsf N ]57 4I1,' Patented Dec.1,l874,.

WITNESSES I r INVENTOR ATTORNEY r ATEN'I' rrron BENJAMIN B. MORGAN, OF HOWELL, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,411, dated December l, 1874; application filed November 10, 1874.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. MOR- GAN, of Howell, in the county of Livingston and State of Michigan, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Oar Gouplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawing is a representation of a longitudinal vertical section of my carcoupling attached to a railroad-car. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of one coupler. Figs. 4. and 5 are detail views. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view, and Fig. 7 a longitudinal vertical sectional view, of the same.

This invention has relation to means for antomatically effecting a coupling between railroad-coaches when they are brought together, and also to means for holding coupling-links in a horizontal position; at the same time allowing their outer ends to rise or descend and accommodate themselves to and freely enter the mouths of buffers on cars of different hei ghts while effecting a coupling.

The nature of my invention and improve ments consists, mainly, in the employment, in connection with a coupling-pin and an. inclined abutment, of a pivoted dog, provided with a broad supporting-base, a supporting-end, and a curved front edge, the flaringmouth of the draw-head being provided with a contracted throat and pivoted jaws acted on by springs, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, A A designate two draw-bars, which are applied to the carbeds B B in the usual well-known manner. Each draw-bar is constructed in the following manner: The shank a is hollow, and has three permanent sides, and one removable side, 11. Inside of this draw-bar is a portion, 0, which is rigidly secured in its place, and provided on its rear end with a suitable spring, S, for allowing longitudinal elasticity of the draw-bar and preventing undue shocks when cars are brought together or suddenly started. The front end 0 of the portion a is inclined or beveled, as shown in Fig. 3, and affords an abutment and a support for a dog, g, when this dog is struck by a coupling-link in the act of making a coupling. Between the inclined end 0 of the portion 0 and a contracted throat, f, of the mouth a of the draw-bar, is a chamber, h, in which the dog 9 is arranged; also, two staple-shaped jaws, a a, between which latter the coupling-link O is received when thrust into the draw-bar, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The dog g, shown detached in Fig. 5, is pivoted to the floor of the draw-bar at 2, and is constructed with a broad base, 3, a hooked supporting end,-4, and a front curved edge, 5, and this dog is pivoted in such relation to the abutment c that when a link is thrust into the draw-bar and against the dog the abutment 0 will resist the thrust. The inclination of the abutment e is such that the dog 9 will always fall forward when unrestrained,so that its upper end 4 will lie directly beneath the lower end of the vertical coupling-pin D, and thus hold up this pin, and when the dog is in this last-named position the base 3 rests upon the floor of the draw-bar. The front edge 5 of the dog is the arc of a circle of such aradius that a link of a given length will serve for cars varying considerably in height. The open or staple-shaped jaws a a have pivotal ends i z, which are received into apertures made in the vertical sides of the draw-bar in close relation to the throat f, and the free ends of these jaws are held together, in a plane passing horizontally through the center of the draw-bar, by means of two spring-arms, r r, of equal strength. These two jaws a n, which allow the coupling pin D to drop through them, receive between them the link 0, and hold this link in a horizontal position for making a coupling automatically with another draw-bar; at the same time the jaws allow the link to vibrate vertically and couple with high or low cars. The coupling-pin D is made quite broad, for securing strength, and in crosssection the front edge and sides are flat, and the back edge, against which the link draws, is rounded. The upper end of the pin D is connected to a draw-rod, G, as shown in Fig. 2, which rod extends to the top of the car, and is suitably guided. It is by means of this rod that a person on top of a car can raise the pin D and uncouple. For platformcoaches a much shorter draw-rod G will be used. A loop, I, is fixed to the rod G a short distance above the head of the pin D, through which loop the inner ends of two hand-levers, p 19, pass freely, which levers have their fulcrums at m m, and their outer ends extend short distances beyond the sides of the car. It is by means of these levers that a person can uncouple from either side of a car without going between cars.

It will be seen from the above description that when the pin D is raised the dog 9 will drop beneath it and positively hold it up until a link is thrust into the draw-bar when the dog will be moved back, and the pin D allowed to drop.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the couplingpin D and the inclined abutment e, the dog g,pivoted at 2, and constructed with a broad supporting-base, 3, a supporting end, 4, and a curved front edge, 5, substantially as described and shown.

2. In combination with the contracted throat f of the flaring mouth, the open pivoted jaws a it, acted on by springs a" 1" in the manner and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN B. MORGAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. UPHAM, J OHN B. OoRLIss. 

